Solari thrilled with Madrid derby win
MADRID:REAL Madrid coach Santiago Solari was thrilled by his team’s 3-1 derby victory over Atletico Madrid on Saturday as the European champions forced their way back into the La Liga title race.
Casemiro, Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale’s goals allowed Real to condemn Atletico to their first home defeat of the season and move within five points of Barca.
“It was a team performance, strong in every aspect, probably our best game since December,” Solari told reporters. “The key was the players as it always is, we’re all part of the team. The physicality, the delivery, the heart and the talent is all theirs, they deserve the credit.”
CAVANI TO MISS CLASH AGAINST UNITED
Paris:edinson Cavani will sit out of the first leg of Paris Saint-germain’s Champions League game with Manchester United, the club confirmed on Sunday saying the striker had sustained damage to a tendon in his hip.
PSG are already missing Neymar, sidelined until at least April with a foot injury, while Manchester United have won 10 of their 11 games under new coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“The tests carried out have shown an injury in the right hip. The treatment and the amount of recovery time will depend on how he reacts over the next few days,” PSG said on their website.
NAPOLI STUMBLE AT FIORENTINA; INTER WIN
ROME: Napoli could finish the weekend trailing Serie A leaders Juventus by 11 points after Carlo Ancelotti’s wasteful side stuttered to a 0-0 draw at Fiorentina on Saturday, as Lautaro Martinez scored the only goal to get Inter Milan back winning against promoted Parma.
Both sides start their Europa League campaigns after crashing out of the Champions League with Napoli travelling to FC Zurich and Inter Milan away to Rapid Vienna in their round of the 32, first leg ties. Fiorentina’s Alban Lafont produced a string of saves to deny Piotr Zielinski and Dries Mertens as Napoli failed to score away from home for the third game running.
NANTES PAY FINAL TRIBUTE TO SALA
PARIS: Nantes paid a final tribute to former striker Emiliano Sala in a 4-2 home defeat against Nimes in Ligue 1 on Sunday, three days after the Argentine was confirmed dead in a plane crash. There was a minute of applause before kickoff and a representative from Cardiff City came to La Beaujoire Stadium to hand the French club a shirt from the Welsh side. La Beaujoire was at capacity after tickets were sold for €9 in reference to Sala’s shirt number. Fans also chanted a song in memory of Sala in the ninth minute of the game.
Elsewhere, Andy Delort’s late penalty salvaged a 2-2 draw for Montpellier against Monaco.